Karnataka chief minister DK Shivakumar on Sunday warned private companies of action if they were found deliberately excluding Kannadigas from recruitment, following claims made by a woman on social media, who sought CM’s intervention.
“It is disheartening to hear complaints that Kannadigas are being denied job opportunities in Bengaluru ’s IT companies. “In Karnataka , the Kannadiga is sovereign. HT couldn’t independently verify the allegations. To be sure, the government has not named any company against which it is considering action. The claims drew reactions from pro-Kannada organisations and social media users, who called for government intervention to protect employment opportunities for local youth. Kannada activist Rupesh Rajanna reportedly alleged that some companies were targeting Kannada employees and warned of agitation. The CM’s statement came in response to a viral video of a young woman alleging IT firms in Bengaluru were denying job opportunities to local candidates.
Earlier this year, Shivakumar outlined plans to fill 56,000 vacant government posts and provide preference to Kannadigas in private sector employment.
The government has taken seriously the issue of native Kannada speakers being sidelined,” Shivakumar said in a post on X. He said the government would act against any private institution found to have deliberately denied opportunities to local candidates. The government will not allow the rights, dignity, and opportunities of Kannadigas to be disregarded for any reason,” he said. “Due to this we are not getting jobs,” the woman said in the video, appealing to the CM to intervene. Earlier reporting noted: CM warns IT firms against Kannada bias in hiring; merit rules, say experts Bengaluru: Karnataka chief minister DK Shivakumar Sunday warned private companies of “appropriate action” if they were found to be “deliberately discriminating” against Kannadigas during recruitment. Earlier reporting noted: In a post on X, Shivakumar said it was unfortunate that complaints were emerging about Kannadigas being denied employment opportunities. He said the govt had taken serious note of allegations that candidates whose mother tongue was Kannada were being overlooked.
Earlier reporting noted: The comment drew a sharp response from industry watchers, who denied bias and instead urged the govt to rebuild college infrastructure, upskill students and make them industry-ready.
